Printer with controller for generating combined print data and clock signal

Abstract

An inkjet printer that has a printhead IC an array of nozzles for ejecting drops of printing fluid onto a media substrate and drive circuitry for driving the array of nozzles and, a print engine controller (PEC) for sending print data to the printhead IC. The drive circuitry is configured to extract a clock signal from the data transmission from the PEC.

1. An inkjet printer comprising:
 a printhead IC having:
 an array of nozzles for ejecting drops of printing fluid onto a media substrate; and, 
 drive circuitry for driving the array of nozzles; and, 
 
 a print engine controller (PEC) for sending print data to the printhead IC; wherein, 
 the drive circuitry is configured to extract a clock signal from the data transmission from the PEC. 
 
     
     
       2. An inkjet printer according to  claim 1  wherein the data transmission is a digital signal that has a rising edge at every clock period. 
     
     
       3. An inkjet printer according to  claim 2  wherein the drive circuitry determines a data bit from every clock period by the position of the falling edge during that period. 
     
     
       4. An inkjet printer according to  claim 3  linked with other like printhead IC's to form a pagewidth printhead, wherein the data transmission is multi-dropped to all the printhead IC's and each printhead IC has a unique write address provided by the PEC. 
     
     
       5. An inkjet printer according to  claim 4  wherein the interface between the printhead and the PEC has only two connections. 
     
     
       6. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of temperature sensors positioned along the array of nozzles such that the drive circuitry adjusts the drive pulses in response to the temperature sensor outputs. 
     
     
       7. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 6  wherein each of the plurality of temperature sensors is activated sequentially for a period of time during the print job. 
     
     
       8. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 6  wherein the plurality of temperatures sensors are divided into two or more groups, each group being activated for a sensing period in accordance with a predetermined repeating sequence for the duration of a print job. 
     
     
       9. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 8  wherein every second temperature sensor in the plurality of temperature sensors is de-activated such that the drive circuitry adjusts the drive pulse profile for the region corresponding to each activated temperature sensor and applies the same adjustment to the adjacent region where the temperature sensor is de-activated. 
     
     
       10. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 6  wherein each of the plurality of temperature sensors, is configured to sense the temperature a corresponding region of the array such that the drive pulse for the nozzles in one region can differs from the drive pulse for the nozzles in another region. 
     
     
       11. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1  wherein the drive circuitry is programmed with a series of temperature thresholds defining a set of temperature zones, each of the zones having a different pulse profile for the drive pulses sent to the nozzles in the region currently operating in that temperature zone. 
     
     
       12. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 11  wherein the pulse profile for each temperature zone differs in its duration. 
     
     
       13. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 12  wherein the drive circuitry sets the pulse duration to zero if the temperature sensor indicates that region is operating at a temperature above the highest of the temperature thresholds. 
     
     
       14. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1  wherein the drive circuitry sets the duration of the pulse profile to a sub ejection value for any of the nozzles in the row that are not to eject a drop during that firing sequence. 
     
     
       15. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1  mounted to a pagewidth printhead with a plurality of like printhead IC's, wherein all the printhead IC's have a common initial address with one exception, the exception having a different address such that the print engine controller sends a first instruction to any printhead IC's having the different address, the first broadcast instruction instructing the printhead IC having the different address to change its address to a first unique address, the printhead IC's being connected to each other such that once the exception has changed its address to the first unique address, it causes one of the printhead IC's having a common address to change its address to the different address, so that when the print engine controller sends a second broadcast instruction to the different address, the printhead IC with the different address changes its address to a second unique address as well as causing one of the remaining printhead IC's having the common address to change to a different address, the process repeating until the print engine controller assigns the printhead IC's with mutually unique addresses. 
     
     
       16. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 15  wherein during use feedback from the open actuator test circuitry is used to adjust the print data subsequently received by the drive circuitry. 
     
     
       17. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1  further comprising open actuator test circuitry for selectively disabling the actuators when they receive a drive signal while comparing the resistance of the resistive heater to a predetermined threshold to assess whether the actuator is defective. 
     
     
       18. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1  wherein the drive circuitry is configured to operate in two modes, a printing mode in which the drive pulses it generates are printing pulses, and a maintenance mode in which the drive pulses are de-clog pulses, such that, the de-clog pulse has a longer duration than the printing pulse. 
     
     
       19. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1  wherein the drive circuitry resets itself to a known initial state in response to receiving power from a power source after a period of not receiving power from the power source. 
     
     
       20. An inkjet printhead according to  claim 1  wherein the drive circuitry is configured to receive the print data in any one of a plurality of different data transmission protocols.